Method for acquiring azimuth information

Abstract

A method for acquiring azimuth information enables acquisition of azimuth information by receiving signals transmitted by GPS satellites using only a single antenna. The method includes steps of disposing a GPS planar antenna having a hemispherical beam with its beam center horizontal to form a sky coverage area of antenna sensitivity that is a sky quarter-sphere in the direction the GPS antenna faces, causing a GPS receiver connected to the GPS antenna to attempt reception of signals transmitted by GPS satellites, inputting the received signals to a data processing unit to discriminate satellites present in the coverage area, arranging the satellites found to be present in the sky coverage area in clockwise order as viewed from the start azimuth of the sky coverage area; extracting the azimuth of the satellite corresponding to the last term in the order as a start azimuth and the direction opposite the azimuth of the satellite corresponding to the first term in the order as an end azimuth, using the extracted start azimuth and end azimuth to limit the azimuth of the direction in which the antenna faces, and outputting the limited azimuth information as voice message or an image using a result output unit.

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